Moonshot’s creative economy spotlight + SportyTV takes free sports to more screens
What we learned at Moonshot 2025’s creative economy stage, and Sporty TV doubles down on free access to sports across Africa
Hello,
The final quarter of the year is always event season in West Africa’s tech and creative sectors. It’s hitting its first peak this week with Moonshot by TechCabal, Creation Africa Forum, and Africa Business Angel Network (ABAN) all happening in Lagos. If you missed out on all these, do not fret. There are more coming. You get a list of creative economy events happening next week at the end of today’s Digest. Check it out and see which ones you’ll be attending.
And if you’re in Johannesburg, Communiqué is hosting its signature networking event on October 30. You already know that’s one you don’t want to miss. If you haven’t registered yet, you are about to miss out on the best thing to ever happen in South Africa’s creator economy. Tickets are free; get yours here.
In today’s Digest, we discussed:
What we learned from Moonshot 2025’s Creative Economy track
SportyTV’s move to expand its reach across Africa
Centre Spread 🗞️
The Creative Economy takes centre stage at Moonshot
On the creative economy stage at Moonshot by TechCabal, West Africa’s largest technology conference, some of the continent’s leading voices in film, music, technology, and policy gathered to discuss the future of Africa’s creative sector. The sessions featuring an array of important stakeholders in the industry, including Jason Njoku, the founder of iROKOtv, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, convener of ArtX Lagos, Audu Maikori, CEO of Chocolate City, and Gautier Mignot, the EU Head of Delegation in Nigeria, explored key themes such as digital platforms, intellectual property, creative infrastructure, and film distribution.
Opening the day, Jason Njoku reflected on how technology has reshaped the business of creativity, lowering barriers and allowing more Africans to produce and distribute their work. Yet he warned that the same tools can erode long-term value when creators give up ownership. “Putting content on YouTube for free drives the value of that content down in the long term,” he said, urging creators to control both their content and distribution.
That concern was echoed by Communiqué’s Research Lead, Chukwuyemisi Isichei, who previewed the Communiqué 2025 Africa Creator Report. According to the report, African creators now make up a distinct “working class” contributing measurable economic activity but still struggle to capture fair value. While more creators are earning income than ever before, the report highlights that monetisation remains fragmented, with only a small percentage able to build sustainable careers from their work.
A separate session, moderated by Communiqué’s Deborah Oguike, featured Jide Martin, CEO of Comic Republic and Claude Grunitzky, Managing Partner and CEO of Equity Alliance and former CEO of TRACE TV, and explored how digital platforms are transforming Africa’s creative economy. For Martin, accessibility has changed everything: “You just need your phone and internet to be a global star,” he said. Grunitzky identified three drivers of the boom: smartphone penetration, diaspora influence, and improved creative tools, but warned that global platforms like YouTube and TikTok dominate monetisation.
He urged African entrepreneurs to build smaller, specialised digital platforms focused on specific creative industries. Martin agreed, saying African-led platforms should coexist with global ones: “We can build our own, but we shouldn’t isolate ourselves.”
Both speakers agreed that ownership is the ultimate goal. “Once we created value, we could negotiate,” Martin said, referencing Comic Republic’s success with original IP. Looking ahead, both see AI and machine learning as the next frontier — tools that could help Africa leapfrog existing challenges, if backed by investment.
During her session, filmmaker Funmbi Ogunbanwo added another layer to the discussion, emphasising that talent alone cannot sustain growth. “Until we build a self-sufficient ecosystem, we won’t be able to reap the benefits of our work fully,” she said, advocating for investments in local technical expertise and creative infrastructure.
In a panel on intellectual property, Moe Odele, Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, and Audu Maikori discussed why enforcement often fails in Africa. “We’ve borrowed laws from places with entirely different cultural and economic contexts,” Fawehinmi noted, calling for frameworks that reflect how Africans actually create and share their work.
Though the event did not break new ground, it deepened an ongoing conversation that’s becoming more rigorous, data-driven, and self-aware. The tone has shifted from aspiration to accountability: Africa’s creative economy knows its worth, and the challenge now is to build the systems, laws, and ownership models to claim it.




Sporty TV expands access to free live sports across Africa
SportyTV, the sports broadcasting arm of Sporty Group, is reaffirming its position as Africa’s fastest-growing free-to-air sports network with a renewed push to reach more audiences and advertisers across the continent.
Over the past two years, SportyTV has transformed how millions of Nigerians watch live sports, delivering more than 600 major sporting events, including the English Premier League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Olympics, completely free of charge. During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Sporty TV reached over 7 million people in Nigeria and 50 million across Africa. The network has also secured rights to broadcast the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, strengthening its reputation as a key player in Africa’s sports broadcasting landscape.
SportyTV’s multi-platform approach has been central to its rapid growth. The channel is accessible via StarTimes’ digital terrestrial television (DTT) service, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), as well as on mobile through the SportyTV app and YouTube channel, ensuring that live sports are available to fans anywhere, anytime.
According to the company, this renewed market push is focused on spotlighting the channel’s value for advertisers. “SportyTV combines mass-market reach with digital accessibility,” the company said in a statement. “We’re creating one of the most engaging and impactful platforms for brands to connect with Africa’s most passionate sports audiences.”
Beyond broadcasting global tournaments, SportyTV is investing in local programming, including locally produced shows in indigenous languages, national competitions, and fan-led storytelling that reflect how Nigerians experience sport.
Through partnerships with NTA and international media organisations, SportyTV is redefining what free-to-air television can mean for Africa, merging premium sports content with accessibility, technology, and local storytelling.
*Disclosure: Sporty Group is a client of Communiqué Advisory, the consulting arm of Communiqué.
Crunch Time 📈
Micro-creators rule Nigeria
Catch Up 📬
Communiqué 91: Kenya’s Akili TV is growing with its audience
Kenya’s Akili TV is quietly laying the foundation for what could become a Nickelodeon-like media empire on the African continent. Its evolution from producing children’s shows to maturing its content alongside its young audience mirrors the early trajectory of the American giant.
Of course, there’s more to becoming “Africa’s Disney” than great programming. This week’s Communiqué essay explores how founders Jeff Schon and Jesse Soleil turned a $9 million experiment in children’s television into Kenya’s leading family-focused TV network, and what’s next for the company as it scales.
Read the full essay here. Don’t forget to share with your friends, too.
Curiosity Cabinet 🗄️
This week’s Offscript guest, Lisa MacLeod, shares how she built her career as a journalist turned media consultant over the last three decades, all thanks to her early love of reading.
New data shows that creator-driven marketing delivers more substantial long-term brand benefits than short-term campaigns.
Over 500 business leaders and investors are gathering at the Counder Conference 2026 to discuss how to support the next generation of cultural and creative entrepreneurs.
Here are the events happening across
October 16 - 26: NBO Film Festival holds in Nairobi, Kenya
October 17 - 21: Medenine International Film Festival holds in Djerba, Tunisia
October 17 – December 18: Lagos Biennale holds in Lagos, Nigeria
October 23 – 27: Lagos International Poetry Festival holds in Lagos, Nigeria
October 23– 28: Design Week Lagos 2025 holds in Lagos, Nigeria
Explore more of Africa’s creative economy in one place. Communiqué’s African Creative Economy Database tracks 1,000+ companies, events, investors, and government actors across the continent.
Thank you for reading Communiqué! Please help us give Africa’s media and creative industries the coverage they deserve by donating here.
That’s it for this week’s Digest. See you next week.